TEWKSBURY – Police Chief Ryan Columbus is proud to share that the Tewksbury Police Department is one of just 11 police departments nationwide to complete the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s Trust Building Campaign.
The IACP’s Trust Building Campaign includes a pledge to implement 25 key policies and leading practices within a 36-month period in order to build trust and enhance collaboration between police and communities. Tewksbury Police completed the pledge in just seven weeks.
The IACP Trust Building Campaign seeks to enhance trust between police agencies and the communities they serve by ensuring positive community-police partnerships that promote safe, effective interactions; create strategies to prevent and reduce crime; and improve the well-being and quality of life for all.
As they completed the Trust Building Campaign pledge, the Tewksbury Police Department prioritized actions encouraging positive community-police partnerships within six focus areas: bias-free policing; use of force; leadership and culture; recruitment, hiring, and retention; victim services; and community relations.
Tewksbury Police also conducted a community survey to gauge the level of trust in police within the community, and will continue to conduct such surveys as they seek to improve survey results.
On the question of whether people in Tewksbury trust their police department, 58 percent of respondents said they trust Tewksbury Police to a great extent, while 23 percent said they trust Tewksbury Police a lot. Only 6 percent of respondents said they don’t trust police at all. Over 80 percent of respondents said that Tewksbury Police treat people with respect and treat people fairly.
Respondents said drug abuse, traffic issues and burglaries were their biggest crime-related concerns in Tewksbury, and over 70 percent of respondents said Tewksbury Police are responsive to their concerns.
To view the complete survey results, click here.
“Earning and maintaining the trust of our community is a top priority of the Tewksbury Police Department that affects our credibility, legitimacy, and ability to work within our community, so I could not be more proud that our department has achieved this goal. We know that trust is earned that we must strive for excellence with each interaction. Treating people fairly and with respect is one of our foundations,” said Chief Columbus. “The Trust Building Campaign is a major milestone, and I want to congratulate all of our officers and staff who contributed to us reaching this goal.”
The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) is the world’s largest and most influential professional association for police leaders. With more than 33,000 members in over 170 countries, the IACP is a recognized leader in global policing, committed to advancing safer communities through thoughtful, progressive police leadership.
In a world where information is spread so quickly, it is critical, now more than ever, that the community can put their trust into law enforcement to provide truth, transparency, and justice. Through the Trust Building Campaign, the IACP is committed to addressing these, and other issues, on a national and international level.
For more information about the Trust Building Campaign, visit the IACP’s website at:
https://www.theiacp.org/iacp-trust-building-campaign. To view a video about the Trust Building Campaign, click here.